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As any Jack Russell Terrier owner knows, keeping them entertained is a full time job, especially because they tend to destroy any toy you give them. I’ve tried every dog toy and human toy out there. They may be small (JRTS), but they’re mighty.

1. I started with a stuffed squeaky dog toy, three hundred dollars later (the vet bill) and a stomach full of stuffing, I no longer buy stuffed toys.

2. Next I tried tennis balls which seemed harmless enough, yea sure. The instant I looked away, a new game was invented, it’s called stuff the ball in the smallest space possible and dig it out. The rules are, retrieve the ball by any means possible. If that means digging or chewing thru a sofa, then do it. If that means after you stuff the ball under the refrigerator you have to break the kick plate off, than do it. And if all else fails whine and cry until someone moves it for you. Then do it all again.

Another great tennis ball game is give the ball a haircut, okay, not so great.

3. Well, if tennis balls are too small I thought I’d try something bigger so, I bought a child’s plastic ball, a rubber playground ball, and a soccer ball each one all popped within minutes. So, I thought I’d try something even tougher, a basketball. The basketball seemed like the perfect solution, wrong. Hours and hours of faster than the speed of light nose soccer seems like a good way to expend some energy. The first issue is the poor little raw nose, the second is the hours and hours. I would literally have to take it and hide it, and it’s not easy to hide something from a Jackie.

4. Another toy that Jack Russell owners should avoid are the harder plastic (not the rubber) squeaky dog toys, they can be shredded in a matter of seconds. Not only do they make a big mess, if ingested they may cause internal bleeding and/or a blockage, which may end in surgery. There is also the possibility of choking which could conceivably end in death.

5. Last but not least, avoid any toy that has any movable or removable parts, or any toy that is not one singular piece. No plastic eyes, no button noses, no puff ball tails, because even the smallest seam, nub or ribbon is a challenge to a JRT. How fast can I rip tear or break this thing apart, and/or eat it?